Electrical conductor bracket



NOV. 3, R. D. BOOTH ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR BRACKET Filed July 22,v 1957 3@ RDBWM ATTORNEY United States Patent O ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR BRACKET Raymond D. Booth, Fall River, Mass.

Application July 22, 1957, Serial No. 673,328

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-7) This invention relates to a bracket of novel construction adapted to be employed in connection withY conductor elements utilized for carrying olf charges of static electricity from tank trucks which conventionally carry inammable liquids, such as gasoline, and in which static electricity is generated in connectionv with the lilling of the tanks of such vehicles.

More particularly, it is an aim ofthe present invention lto provide a bracket of electrical conducting material adapted to be mounted permanently on a fuel loading rack for forming an electrical connection between a grounded electrical conductor and an electrical conductor which is detachably connected to the tank truck while the tank is being loaded' with the inflammable liquid.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a bracket having a swingably and swivelly mounted conductor part to which the electrical conductor leading from the tank truck is connected and which enables said conductor toy be swung or turned in any direction relative to the bracket for most convenient attachment to the tank of the truck, thereby eliminating the risk of breakage in the conductor wiring leading from the tank truck to the ground and which might otherwise occur and not be noticed.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational View showing the electrical conductor bracket permanently mounted on a fuel loading rack and connected to conductor wiring leading therefrom to the tank Itrunk and to the ground;

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the conductor bracket, shown detached from the loading rack;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the bracket.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the electrical conductor bracket in its entirety is designated generally 6 and includes a hollow upwardly opening casing or housing 7 having an open top 8 provided with outwardly extending flanges 9 at opposite ends thereof, which flanges are provided with fastening receiving openings 10. The housing or casing 7 is provided with a relatively large centrally disposed circular opening 11 in the bottom thereof. The housing or casing 7 is formed of an electrical conducting material, such as cast iron.

A block 12 of an electrical conducting material such as brass forms an insert which is sized and shaped to fit snugly in the bottom of the housing 7, as best seen in Figure 3. Said insert 12 has an opening extending from top to bottom therethrough including a concave or dished upper portion 13 which opens outwardly of the top thereof, and a downwardly flared lower portion 14, which ICS communicates with the dished portion 13 and the lower end of ywhich opens into the housing opening 11.

A connector member formed of an electrical conducting material such as brass, `comprises a bar 15 to one end of which is connected a ball orv sphere 16. A portion of the ball -or sphere 16 fits turnably in the seat 13 of the insert 12 which is shaped to comformably engage said ball portion, and the bar 15 extends downwardly therefrom loosely through the lower bore portion 14 and through the casing opening 11. A bridge mem ber 17, likewise formed of an electrical conducting material, has end portions 18 which rest upon and are secured by fastenings 19 to the top surface of the insert 12. Said bridge member 17 has an upwardly offset intermediate lportion 20 which is provided with a central opening 21 which seats comformably over an upper portion of the ball 16 for loosely confining the ball turnably between said top portion 20` and the insert seat 13.

The ball 16 has a threaded recess 22 which opens outwardly thereof in a direction away from the bar 15 and in which is received a threaded shank 23 which has an eye 24 at its outer end. A nut 24 engages the threaded shank 23 and bears against the top of the ball 16. The screw 23, 24 is preferably formed of brass.

A ring or annular plate 26, having an opening corresponding in size to the opening 11, is disposed agm'nst the underside of the bottom of the housing 7, around said opening 11, and is secured to the housing by fastenings 27. The ring 26 is also preferably formed of brass and constitutes a protective ring for the bottom of the casing 7.

An electrical conductor wire 28 has an attaching member 29 at one end thereof which is secured by a screw fastening 30 to the lower end of the bar 15 to form an electrical connection between said bar and the conductor wire 28. A conventional spring clamp 31 of electrical conducting material is connected to the opposite end of the conductor wire 28.

An electrical connector or contact post 32 includes a threaded shank 33 which extends outwardly through an opening 34 in the wall of the casing 7, beneath and adjacent one of the flanges 9, and said shank 33 carries a pair of nuts 3S which are disposed on the outer side of the casing 7. A conductor wire 36 has a terminal member 37 at one end thereof which is mounted on the shank 33 between the nuts 35. The connector 32 has an enlarged head 3S constituting the inner end thereof and which is disposed wi-thin the casing l7 and has an outwardly opening threaded recess 39 to receive a screw 40 which extends through a terminal 41 provided on one end of an electrical conductor 42, for electrically connecting said terminal 41 to the contact 32. A termisecured to the outer end of the screw shank, externally of the casing 7, by a pair of nuts 49 which are mounted on said screw shank and between which the terminal 48 is clamped. The terminal 48 is formed on one end of a conductor wire 50.

The open upper end of the casing 7 is adapted to be disposed against the underside of a horizontal top beam 51 of a liquid fuel loading rack 52 by means of fastenings 53 which extend upwardly through the flange openings 10 and are anchored in the beam 51, as seen in Figure 1. The beam 51 is supported by an upper portion of an upright standard 54, the lower end of which is embedded in the ground 55. The opposite end of the conductor wire 50 is electrically connected to the beam 51 by a fastening 56 and as the rack parts 51 and 54 are formed of metal, thebracket 6 is grounded to the rack through said wire 50, in addition to being grounded to the rack by direct contact of ythe casing 7 with the beam 51. The conductor Wire 36 has its opposite end embedded in the ground 55 to thus insure a positive ground and may be connected at spacedpoints to the rack 52 by conventional clips 57. As seen in Figure l, a tank truck 58 is shown in a position beside and beneath the loading rack 52 with the tank 59 thereof being loaded with inammable liquid such as gasoline, not shown, through the lil-ling port 60 in the top thereof into which the discharge end 61 of a liquid supply pipe 62 of the loading rack is positioned to discharge. The spring clip 31 is shown directly connected to the truck tank 59, so that'any static electricity which may accumulate in the tank 59 due to the liquid being supplied thereto will be harmlessly carried oi and grounded.

The swingably and swivelly mounted connector 15, 16 allows the wire 28 to be swung in any direction relative to the casing 7 for securing the clip 31 to a convenient part `of the truck tank 59 without exerting a bending or twisting force on the conductor wire 28 and which might tend to cause an unnoticed break therein and which would prevent accumulated charges of static electricity being carried oi from the tank truck 58. Thus, the conductor bracket 6 constitutes a safety device which will effectively function for its intended purpose and wherein the risk of failure of the device t-o operate as rvintended is reduced to a minimum.

Various modications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electrical conductor bracket comprising a casformably tting in the bottom part thereof, said insert having an opening communicating with the opening in the casing bottom and having a flared upper end, a connector element of electrical conducting material including a sphere having a portion turnably fitting in said flared upper end of the insert opening, said connector element additionally including a bar xed to and extending downwardly from said sphere loosely through the openings of said insert and casing bottom, abridgefmember supported on and detachably secured to said insert and having a top portion provided with an opening in which an upper part of said sphere turnably fits, a contact post mounted in and extending through a part of said casing above said insert and having end portions forming binding posts one of which is disposed internally of the casing and the other of which is disposed externally of the casing, a llexible electrical conductor having one end connected to the internally disposed binding post and an opposite Iend electrically connected to said sphere to form an electrical connection between the connector element and said contact post.

l2. An electrical conductor bracket as in claim l, a post of electrical conducting material secured to and extending upwardly from the sphere through the opening of said bridge member` and connected to said flexible electrical conductor for electrically connecting said flexible electrical conductor to the connector element, said last mentioned post being disposed substantially in alignment with said bar.

1 References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

